In memo police chief Acevedo disputes insubordination charge

Deborah Cannon/American-Statesman Austin Police Department Chief Art Acevedo addresses the media, along with City Manager Marc Ott, right, at the scene of a shooting at the Walmart near IH35 and Parmer Lane in the early morning hours of Friday, April 6, 2012. An APD officer was shot and killed inside the Walmart after responding to call concerning an intoxicated person.

Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo has come under fire for insubordination to his boss, City Manager Marc Ott, as the American-Statesman’s Tony Plohetski reported on Tuesday.

But new questions are raised by documents provided to the editorial board about whether Acevedo intentionally disregarded Ott’s order to stop discussing the controversial police shooting of an unarmed teenager in February — or instead acted with knowledge, and at least tacit approval, of a supervisor. Acevedo’s response cites a series of misunderstandings and miscommunications involving Ott and his assistant city manager, Rey Arellano, as reasons that led to the insubordination charge.

Plohetski broke the news that Acevedo — perhaps the most visible and popular figure in city government — had been reprimanded for insubordination. The story details the blow-up between Acevedo and Ott that ended with Ott docking Acevedo’s pay about $4,000, or five days, and a warning that Acevedo could be fired for future misconduct.

Those details came to light in documents provided to Plohetski for the Statesman and KVUE-TV. In them, Ott contends that Acevedo didn’t follow orders to stop discussing the controversial police shooting in February of 17-year-old David Joseph, who was unarmed and naked when he was shot. Following an investigation, officer Geoffrey Freeman was fired for violating Austin Police Department policy. The reprimand and warning about future actions are detailed in an April 15 memo.

The documents provided to the editorial board on Wednesday detail Acevedo’s response on April 19, answering Ott’s insubordination charge, and providing a timeline of events. It sheds more light on the ongoing saga. And as we noted, raises questions about whether Acevedo’s behavior was a blatant disregard of an order from his boss or a legitimate action to address problems at APD’s embattled police cadet academy.

Below is that response:

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